1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carton which is adapted for the packaging of contents which consist of granular, powdery or flaked products of the free-flowing type or of bulk commodities and, more particularly, relates to a linerless paperboard carton which includes an easily openable pouring spout which may be readily reclosed so as to maintain the carton in a positive closed condition after initial opening thereof and to thereby extend the pantry shelf-life of the package and to protect any product remaining in the carton from inadvertent spillage.
Generally, cartons which are utilized for the storage and dispensing of types of products as mentioned hereinabove, particularly those employed for dry cereals, consists of the combination of a paperboard carton and a product-containing liner in the form of a closed sack or package, the latter of which usually is constituted of waxed glassine paper or high-density polyethylene. Subsequent to the opening of the carton and the liner, in order to reseal the contents remaining therein, the liner must be refolded to provide protection for the remaining portions of the product. Frequently, a consumer will not properly refold and close the liner after use, or the liner may be ripped or otherwise damaged during refolding so as to destroy the integrity thereof, thereby adversely affecting product quality, particularly comestibles, and causing rapid deterioration thereof, thereby drastically curtailing the pantry shelf-life of the product. When employing plastic resin-based liners, there is often encountered a memory phenomenon in the liner material itself which tends to unfold or unroll, with the liner then opening to thereby result in a reduced pantry shelf-life for the package.
More recently, linerless cartons have been developed for the storage of products of the type set forth hereinabove, particularly dry cereals, in which an easily openable pouring spout is provided at the top of the carton by tearing open a portion of the carton top structure, which may then again be closed after dispensing a portion of the product through the provision of a closure tab or "tuck-in" type of construction which interengages with or tucks below other carton wall components. This type of construction frequently does not provide the necessary sealing of the product remaining with the carton with respect to the exterior so as to cause the remaining product stored in the carton to rapidly deteriorate, thereby drastically reducing pantry shelf-life of the carton and its contents. Furthermore, a linerless carton of this type which incorporates an easily opening and recloseable pouring spout frequently necessitates the utilization of excess amounts of board or carton stock in forming of the carton blank. Additionally, these cartons generally require the incorporation of complex scoring and weakening line patterns which render the cartons relatively expensive to manufacture, while reducing die cutting speeds in forming the blanks and, consequently, become somewhat impractical from a commercial viewpoint. Moreover, the tuck-in type of flap structure for the carton wall portion which forms the openable and recloseable pouring spout frequently fails to positively reclose upon being tucked in due to misalignment of the edges and may lead to accidental spilling of the remaining contents of the carton during tilting or inadvertent inversion of the carton.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Thus, Grieve U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,446 discloses a carton with a tucked-in closure flap, in which a dispensing orifice or pouring spout is provided for through the intermediary of weakening or score lines extending across the closure flaps to provide readily end sections thereon which are severable therefrom and which are hinged to the carton wall or panel structure. In this instance, although the carton pouring spout or closure lap is generally quite satisfactory in operation, precise registration and alignment is required for the severing lines of the inner and outer flap overlapping portions. Since only two opposite corners of a portion of the top corner flap tuck under upon reclosing of the carton, this will not afford a high degree of positive closing and may allow for accidental opening of the carton.
Yezek U.S. Pat. No. 2,933,230 discloses a carton providing for a pouring spout constructed through the provision of weakening or score lines on the carton top flaps, and including a tuckable end flap member disposed beneath the side flaps. In this instance, in order to open the carton to form a pouring spout, and subsequently to reclose the pouring spout, the tucked portion of the end flap must be pulled outwardly into an unfolded position, and thereafter refolded prior to the closing of the side flaps. Although this structure incorporates a dust flap formed with a finger cut-out which is disposed in register with a finger cut-out in the tear-away or removable portion of the inner closure flap, these elements are not unitarily openable since they bend about different hinge lines which are at right angles to each other.
Schermund U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,865 discloses a container which incorporates a recloseable spout or opening of the so called "flip-top" type, which is frequently employed in the formation of semi-rigid cigarette packets. This type of closure construction is, however, relatively complex and does not necessitate a type reclosing which would completely seal the remaining product contained in the package for the purpose of providing an extending pantry shelf-life. The container closure set forth in this patent is primarily for the purpose of providing protection against crushing the contents, in this instance cigarettes, to thereby prevent these from becoming unusable and to also preclude any inadvertent sliding out of the cigarettes from the package.
Cornwall U.S. Pat. No. 2,108,431 discloses a recloseable pouring spout located on the top surface of a rectangular paperboard carton. The pouring spout, however, is not integrally formed with the carton but rather is constructed of a separate metallic cutting and closure forming member. This represents an extremely cumbersome and expensive structure which would not be readily and economically suitable for a single-use or throwaway type of carton.
Kapeloff U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,022 describes a box-like carton having a detachable top incorporating recloseable end member or flap for resealing the opened end wall of the carton. Again, this requires essentially a two-piece container construction which is difficult and expensive to manufacture and which does not always provide the necessary degree of resealing of the pouring spout or opening.
Other recloseable containers are illustrated in Simpson U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,504; Schermund U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,655; Rein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,100; Diaz U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,693; Sternau U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,034; Bennett U.S. Pat. No. 2,218,670; and Moore U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,630.
Another carton which is currently being marketed commercially discloses a top which can be pivoted relative to the carton body so as to form a dispensing opening extending across the entire carton top. There is no disclosure of a pouring spout being formed towards one end only of the carton.